Eco3 no longer wants to remain limited to prepress. With Elio, the group?which originated from Agfa?s prepress operations and was acquired in 2023 by the German investment fund Aurelius?is entering the digital label printing market. It is launching with three machines, including a press that combines inkjet and flexography.
Two inkjet printers: Elio Essenza and Elio Forma
The Elio Essenza 330 label printer is the entry-level model in the lineup. Designed for media ranging from 110 to 330 mm wide?a size commonly used for labels? the Elio Essenza 330 prints at speeds of up to 50 m/min at 600 × 600 DPI and offers a resolution of 600 × 1,200 DPI. Its six channels allow for combinations of CMYK, white, and spot colors such as orange or purple.
The press can be equipped, as an option, with in-line modules for applying a primer, laminating, and die-cutting. A set of low-migration inks is available.
The range then increases to 80 m/min with the Elio Forma 330, which supports media widths from 150 to 330 mm. The native resolution increases to 1,200 x 1,200 DPI, and the color configuration can combine CMYK inks with orange, green, purple, and white. Curing is achieved via UV light.
A Hybrid Press: Elio Hybrid
The third press breaks away from an all-digital configuration. Called the Elio Hybrid, this series of machines combines UV inkjet and flexo modules on a single platform.
Four versions are available, in web widths ranging from 150 to 340 mm and from 220 to 450 mm, with maximum resolutions of 600 × 1,200 or 1,200 × 1,200 DPI. The HD models reach speeds of 80 m/min, compared to 70 m/min at 600 × 600 DPI for the other versions. Up to eight color channels are available. The line can also incorporate modules for digital varnishing, hot or cold foil stamping, and die-cutting.
The three Elio printers use Kyocera inkjet printhead technology. Eco3 combines them with its own inks and Apogee Digital workflow software.
The presses handle substrates such as PET, BOPP, BOPA, PP, PE, coated paper, synthetic paper, and art paper, among others.
"Transformers don't need more technology just for the sake of technology," says Christian Tebroke, CEO of Eco3. The manufacturer is thus placing greater emphasis on the level of investment and adaptation to processors' production needs than on a race for technical specifications.
